Deployment Lead

Vaco LLC; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco in New York is seeking an Engagement Lead to found and scale a critical new function within Future Platforms: taking next-generation AI products from early customer commitments to live deployments. On-site in NYC 4–5 days per week, with travel approximately once per month (~3 days per trip).

In this high-autonomy, cross-functional role, you will align enterprise stakeholders, drive deployment programs, and coordinate with Product and Engineering to translate client needs into platform

Qualifications

• 5–8 years of experience in high-growth, venture-backed startups or related roles.
• STEM degree or equivalent technical/analytical background.
• Proven track record of managing complex enterprise engagements end-to-end.
• Strong communication and business judgment in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
• On-site 4–5 days a week with travel ~1x per month (~3 days per trip).

Responsibilities

• End-to-End Engagement Ownership: drive deployments from late-stage handoff to launch and stabilization.
• Pre-Sales & Expansion Support: partner with sales to scope deployments and identify expansion opportunities.
• Discovery, Scoping & Decisioning: translate objectives into requirements, metrics, and rollout schedules.
• Execution & Program Leadership: manage multi-threaded plans across teams and stakeholders.
• System Configuration & Launch Crossover: oversee configuration, data migration, onboarding, and adoption.
• Product Strategy & Roadmap Influence: inform the product roadmap from deployment learnings.
• Playbook Development: create repeatable playbooks and templates to increase velocity.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Project management

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

STEM degree

Job description

Role Title: Engagement Lead – Future Platforms (Enterprise AI)

Location: On-site 4–5 days/week NYC

Travel: ~1x per month (~3 days per trip)

Salary: $150,000-250,000 plus equity

About the Company & Team

The client is a rapidly scaling, high-growth AI organization transforming essential industries by integrating advanced autonomous AI agents into core enterprise workflows. Backed by top-tier venture capital firms and valued at several billion dollars, the company combines substantial resources with an aggressive innovation trajectory.

The Future Platforms team operates as a high-velocity incubator within the organization. Functioning with startup speed and agility while leveraging the capital, infrastructure, and market reach of an established industry leader, this group blends strategy, product, operations, and go-to-market execution. Operating with direct C-suite executive involvement, the team holds a mandate to develop next-generation AI products and take them from initial concept to market leadership.

About The Role

The client is seeking an Engagement/ Deployment Lead to found and scale a critical new function within Future Platforms: taking next-generation AI products from early customer commitments to live, business-impacting deployments.

In this high-autonomy, cross-functional role, the Engagement Lead will sit at the intersection of product, strategy, and client execution. Serving as the primary driver of engagement success, this individual will build alignment across complex enterprise stakeholder groups, guide high-stakes implementation decisions, and coordinate directly with Product and Engineering to translate real-world client needs into shipped platform enhancements.

Because the platform is early and scaling quickly, this role involves establishing the playbooks, building scalable internal frameworks, and defining how deployments are executed at scale.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-End Engagement Ownership: Drive customer deployments from late-stage sales handoff through launch, rollout, and post-launch stabilization, ensuring timeline execution and executive alignment.
• Pre-Sales & Expansion Support: Partner with sales leadership during late-stage discovery to scope realistic deployments, set clear operational expectations, and identify expansion opportunities.
• Discovery, Scoping & Decisioning: Translate ambiguous client objectives into concrete requirements, workflow designs, success metrics, and rollout schedules while guiding clients through product trade-offs.
• Execution & Program Leadership: Maintain multi-threaded project plans in fast-paced environments, managing cross-functional internal teams and external stakeholders through structured operating cadences.
• System Configuration & Launch Crossover: Collaborate with product operations, engineering, and training teams to oversee platform configuration, data migration, user onboarding, and operational adoption.
• Product Strategy & Roadmap Influence: Partner directly with Product and Engineering to define new platform workflows and inform the product roadmap based on deployment learnings and client feedback.
• Playbook Development: Turn engagement lessons into repeatable playbooks, templates, and scalable systems to increase deployment velocity and quality as the business grows.

Requirements & Qualifications

• 5–8 years of experience spanning management consulting, corporate strategy, product management, or founder/operator roles within high-growth, venture-backed startups.
• Strong technical grounding demonstrated by a STEM degree or equivalent technical/analytical background.
• Proven track record of independently managing complex, multi-stakeholder enterprise engagements from start to finish.
• Demonstrated ability to operate with strong business judgment, creativity, and high attention to detail in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with a natural ability to build trust and drive alignment across internal and external executives.
• Ability to work on-site in the office 4–5 days per week, with a willingness to travel approximately once per month (~3 days per trip).